It's the 19-year anniversary of the dot-com bust, and ironically markets are again awash in a deluge of fantastic IPOs. This time the fantasy has gone next level and involves a stampede of mythical unicorns. During the dot-com boom, it was unthinkable to value a pre-IPO company at over $1 billion (a unicorn). But as … Continue reading Chasing Unicorns
I wrote in December widespread market fear and pessimism in the US seemed like an overreaction based on fundamental data. To be clear, I don't think US stocks are a good bargain, and I prefer emerging markets anyway. But the YTD rally does support my view that the sell-off in Q4 was technical, and as … Continue reading Cracks in the Wall
From a Western perspective, many things about China are hard to understand. For example, a communist government with a market economy, or the "one country, two systems" arrangement between Hong Kong and the mainland. The Chinese stock market is even more confounding. Quotes flash red on upticks and green on downticks. There are more share … Continue reading One Country, Many Reasons
Silver prices are down 70% from their 2011 highs. Of course, there was a huge run-up to that peak and many people, myself included, thought a sell-off was needed. But at this point prices have swung to the other side, and precious metals are now as widely hated as they were loved before. How did … Continue reading Silver Lining
Longest ever? The US stock market closed August to the accolades of "the longest bull market in history." By some measures, the S&P 500 achieved its longest rally ever. Then again, by other measures, it did not. S&P 500, 1927 to 2018 Monthly close, inflation adjusted. Souce: MacroTrends.net There's a lack of consensus on how this … Continue reading Actually, Technically, the Longest
Cradle of civilization Egypt has been called the "cradle of civilization." Egyptians are tied to some of the earliest forms of language, agriculture, and technology that's known to man. While the country has experienced its share of modern social and political issues, Egypt today is ripe with potential. Consider the following characteristics. The most populated … Continue reading Egypt Waits for Spring
Last year I made the case for solar stocks. I was reasonably optimistic about the long-term prospects for the industry and thought stock prices looked meaningfully undervalued. I got lucky timing-wise because solar stocks were up 54% in 2017 -- that much I did not expect. Source: etfreplay.com Of course, I'm not complaining. But valuations … Continue reading Dimming the Lights
Both the ACWI and the S&P 500 gained more than 20% in 2017. US stocks continue to look expensive. Of course, that doesn't mean they can't continue to climb -- they've looked expensive for several years. But 2018 may be the year to be more selective. The table below shows the trailing P/E ratios for … Continue reading Digging Deeper for Energy
US stocks are in one of the longest bull markets in history. Many are warning of extended market valuations. Two of the most highly regarded valuation measures seem to agree. The chart below shows Dr. Robert Shiller's CAPE ratio has reached levels surpassed only by the dot-com bubble peak in 2000. CAPE Ratio Source: Multpl … Continue reading No Market for Old Men
In April I wrote about the Nigerian stock market. Since May the Nigerian market is up 30%. Over the same period, the global stock market has basically been flat (shown below). Nigerian Stock Market and Global Stock Market represented by NGE and VT, respectively Timing-wise this was lucky-- I didn't predict a two-week turnaround. … Continue reading From Nigeria with Love
Back in September, I wrote about the Greek stock market. I pointed out that widespread pessimism, low expectations, and attractive valuation created an easy hurdle for an upside surprise. Since then Greece has been on fire, up over 35%! But despite an increase in price, the Greek market P/E has actually fallen from 4.7x down … Continue reading Greece on Fire
Judging by the news coming out of West Africa, one might think the region has nothing but pirates and warlords. But a closer look reveals a diamond in the rough, you may know as Nigeria. Maybe you cringe at the thought of investing there, but that's more reason to consider it. Here are some noteworthy … Continue reading Diamond in the Rough
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